Returning Home and Finding the Unexpected
by Louisaxo
Summary: When Charlie is finally out of ideas about how to snap Bella out of her catatonic state, he sends her to live with her aunt in Mystic Falls, When she gets to Virginia, who will she encounter. Will she find friendship, love, and who will she encounter from her past? ONLY DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN TWILIGHT, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, THE ORIGINALS OR ANY OTHER FRANCHISES MENTIONED. R&R.
1. Mystic Falls

Returning Home and Finding the Unexpected

 _ **Hi! Long time no see. I know it's been a while since I've posted something on my page, especially a Vampire Diaries/Originals/Twilight crossover. I have been working on this for almost a year, taking notes from A03 readers and betas before I posted it because it wanted you guys to enjoy it. Anyway, on with the show…**_

 **Chapter One – Mystic Falls**

' _Welcome to Mystic Falls'_

Isabella Swan sighed as she drove past the welcome to town sign. It has been a long time since she had stepped foot in her home town, almost twelve years. She was returning now, much to her chagrin, thanks to her father. Her father had not deemed her well enough to return to high school in Forks, and instead he had shipped her off to Mystic Falls to live with her Aunt Sara. Sarah was her mothers' sister, and Mystic Falls is where her mother had grown up, before she had eventually met Charlie and moved to Forks. Bella hasn't wanted to move away from Forks, but her father had finally put his foot down after finding her almost catatonic in her bedroom, once again.

Bella sighed again, leaving her head against the passenger side window as her aunt drove her further into town, passing both the police station and the Mystic Grill on the way to the house Bella remembered vividly. It was a large house, and even though Bella had only visited it a handful of times, she remembered it well. It was the house that Bella's mother and aunt had grown up in with their parents before they had died, but by that time Renee was already living in Forks so Sarah had been living in the beautiful house ever since. As they pulled onto the large driveway of the house, Bella let herself smile slightly, fond memories that she had gotten whilst in the house coming to mind. Whilst the house would look ridiculously out of place in Forks, it somehow fit in beautifully on that particular street in Mystic Falls. They hadn't driven far out of town, but it was clear to see that this area of town was for the wealthy. Whilst Bella was aware of her grandparent's fortune, Renee had renounced her share when she had left town at eighteen, something that Bella thought Renee had come to regret years later.

Since Sara had picked Bella up from the airport in Richmond, she had tried her hardest to communicate with the teenager, but all she had received was slight head-nods and hums of agreement. Even though Charlie had divulged details of Bella's recent months in Forks, she knew that it was better if she did not mention anything about it to her, in fear of making it worse.

Bella nodded in appreciation as her aunt held open the front door for her to walk through, putting the suitcase that she had carried in down at the bottom of the stairs.

"I understand that you had a car, well a truck, back home? So, feel free to use the car in the garage, I put the keys on your dresser. I'll go and get the rest of your things in the car." Sara smiled once more before taking off out of the front door, leaving Bella to explore the house. Although she and Renee were sisters, there was a large age difference, so Sara was only in her early thirties which somehow made Bella feel more comfortable.

The first thing that Bella did was look up, and sure enough the chandelier that she remembered so clearly was dangling perilously over her head, shining as the sun from a window upstairs reflected on it.

She ran her hand along the windowsill as she walked into the large drawing room. Isabella could tell that the house had been modernised since she was last there, and that the wallpaper and flooring had been replaced. Her Converse caused echoes as she walked along the shiny hardwood floor from the drawing room and into the kitchen. Unlike the drawing room and hallway, the kitchen was exactly how she remembered it. Bella figured that Sara either liked it enough to keep it the same or never had the time to change it. The white cabinets and marble worktops stood out against the striking red painted walls, but somehow the colours worked. The backdoor that led to the patio was open, wafting a cool breeze into the room.

"I see you found the kitchen, although I'm not much of a chef I suppose." Sara said from behind Bella, startling her slightly.

"Oh, that's no problem, I got around to learning a lot cooking for my mom and Charlie."

Sara smiled, hearing the first full sentence out of the girl since she had arrived.

"I'll show you your room." Sara walked out of the room, hearing Bella's footfall behind her as she headed towards the stairs.

Bella's free hand ran along the sleek banister, whilst the other carried the heaviest of the remaining suitcases up the stairs, Bella figured that Sara had taken the rest of them upstairs whilst she was re-familiarising herself with the house she would now call home.

Sara walked down a long hallway before coming to a stop at a door on the right-hand side. She twisted the doorknob and pushed open the door with her foot, revealing a room that left Bella open-mouthed.

"This room is beautiful." Bella commented quietly, looking around the bedroom. This room had been decorated recently, Bella thought. The grey coloured wallpaper was pristine, without a mark or scratch, same for the shiny hardwood flooring that matched the floors downstairs. The bed was white, with grey and black fresh bedding to match the walls, with a matching white desk and chair to the side of the room.

"I hope you like the room, it's one of my favourite bedrooms in the house. When I decided that I was going to keep the house rather than sell it I had an interior decorator come in a re-style the place. Every room but the kitchen of course, as it was your grandmothers favourite room in the house." Sara looked out of the large bay window wistfully, but Bella barely noticed. She was too entranced by the bedroom still. She ran her hand along the folded towels at the bottom of the bed as she walked to the other side of the room, noticing that she had her own bathroom now in the process.

"This is too much, it's so pretty here." Bella said, looking up and noticing that there was a small chandelier hanging in the centre of the ceiling.

"It's no problem, it's about time some of these rooms were lived in. Only I live here, and the cat of course, and I can't sleep in all of these rooms. It's nice to have come company in this big house for a change. I'll let you settle in, I'll order pizza for dinner and I'll call you when it's here." Sara said as she left the room, closing the door slightly on her way out.

Bella put the suitcase she was still holding down at the foot of the bed, before unzipping it and letting it open. Since she didn't know how long she would be staying, she had packed all of her clothes. Everything needed to be squeezed into a few cases which made it easier for her to pack and unpack. She took one of her favourite tops out of the case, shaking it out to rid it of creases before walking over and opening the closet. If she was surprised by the size of the bedroom, she was even more shocked about the size of the closet, it was every beauty queen's dream. Finding that the closet was already stocked with hangers, she started to hang the clothing items she was pulling from her case. She was just unpacking her last bag by the time her aunt called up the stairs, saying that food had arrived.

"It's still pepperoni you like, right? I should have asked before I ordered." Sara asked apprehensively, hoping she had ordered correctly.

"Yeah that's fine, I'll eat nearly anything on a pizza." Bella joked, laughing for the first time in god knows how long, as she sat down on a bar stool opposite her aunt.

They ate in a comfortable silence, her aunt sometimes asking her about school and letting Bella know that she had enrolled her at Mystic Falls High School. As Bella had arrived on a Sunday, she would be starting school tomorrow.

Once they had finished eating, with Bella nearly polishing off the whole pizza, she returned to her new room to finish packing before she had to go to bed.

She closed the bedroom door so that she wouldn't disturb her aunt with her unpacking. Bella finished hanging the clothes that she had bought with her, leaving more than half of the closet free for clothes that she would probably need to purchase, realising that the weather in Virginia would probably be much warmer than the weather in Washington. Next, she put all her toiletries and the small bag of makeup she owned on the counter in the bathroom. Leaving the rest of her things to be unpacked in the morning, she took a shower, washing the grime from travelling away down the drain.

Whilst drying her hair with a hand-towel, she reached into one of her duffel bags and pulled out a blank notepad and pen before stuffing it into the satchel she would be using for school. Tomorrow would be different, and Bella was nervous. She didn't want history to repeat itself, she just wanted to finish high school with her head down and bother nobody.

Bella went to sleep that night, hoping that her sleep would not be plagued by the family that left her behind.


	2. Meeting a Mikaelson or Two

**Returning Home and Finding the Unexpected**

 **Chapter Two – Meeting a Mikaelson or Two**

Bella pulled into a parking space at the high school the next morning with an apprehensive look on her face. Anybody could clearly see that she was nervous, terrified even, about starting a new school all over again. Much like when she started Forks High School, she didn't know what to expect and what this new high school would bring. She got out of the black Audi she had been borrowed by her aunt and took her bag from the back seat before slamming the car door. She turned on her heel and looked at the building, it looked like any generic high school across the globe: same red brick, same school banners, same parking lot full of students chatting aimlessly by the side of their cars. Across the lot, Bella noticed a few people she recognised standing around a red car, people she had played with the last time she was here. Although she was sure that Caroline Forbes, Bonnie Bennett, Matt Donovan and Elena Gilbert would recognise her after not seeing her for, so long. Elena was standing beside a man Bella didn't recognise, the only thing she saw was that he was noticeably handsome.

Bella looked down, red-faced, when the handsome male looked in her direction. When she looked back up he was still looking, almost _glaring_ at her. Bella furrowed her eyebrows and turned around to look behind her, noticing a male and female standing beside an expensive car a few spaces down from her.

"Is he glaring at you, or at me?" Bella's eyebrows furrowed as she asked the pair, who were also noticeably beautiful.

The male, who had brown hair and cheekbones any male would kill for, shook his head and laughed whilst the woman spoke, a smile present on her face.

"I assume he's glaring at us, maybe we should ask him." The blonde woman joked, looking over Bella's shoulder to look at the group of teens behind her.

Bella smiled and laughed, noting the striking British accent they both spoke with.

"I doubt it. I haven't seen any of them in over a decade. I don't think they'd even recognise the young girl they used to play with." Bella turned and looked at the group wistfully, noticing that the male had focused his attention back on Elena.

The two-people stepped forward, Bella realised that they were probably dating.

"You used to know them?" The blonde asked.

"Yeah I used to visit here with my mom to see my grandparents and my aunt. My mom knew Elena's and Caroline's moms, so she used to have me go and play with them." Bella explained.

"How unfortunate for you." The man commented, crossing his arms across his chest and smirking when the male across the lot glared at him.

"You're familiar with them?" Bella enquired.

"We've had some _issues_ with them in the past." The male smirked again.

"I'm Bella by the way." She held her hand out, and it was shook politely by the two Brits.

"I'm Rebekah, and this is by brother, Kol." Rebekah used her index finger to point at the male beside her. Bella nodded, smiling slightly as she realised her dating theory had been massively incorrect.

Bella flushed as she asked her next question.

"I'm new here, would you mind showing me where the administration office is?" Bella looked back at the school building nervously as the warning bell rang.

"I'll come with you, run along now, Kol." Rebekah ushered her brother away, he rolled his eyes before heading towards the buildings entrance.

…

"So, how long have you lived here?" Bella asked Rebekah as they walked to their fast class, which was Calculus.

"Not very long, although this is where my siblings and I are originally from."

"Your parents decided to move back?" Bella guessed.

"Not technically. My siblings and I are emancipated from our parents, although my older brother Elijah is like the father of the group." Rebekah demonstrating her point by rolling her eyes, making Bella smile.

"How about you?" Rebekah questioned, not second guessing herself for a moment which surprised her. Rebekah thought for a moment on her intent, wondering for _not_ the first time, what it would be like to have a friend that you could rely on. Sure, she had her family, but really, she craved the unconditional love that friendship could bring to your life.

"I'm staying with my aunt, I haven't figured out for how long yet. I moved here from Washington, but I originally moved there from Arizona."

"But you're so pale." Rebekah smiled, showing that she wasn't trying to offend.

"Everybody says that to me, I've always been like this, but I have no idea why. But living in Forks definitely didn't help my complexion, the weather there is dismal, and it rains almost every day." Bella grimaced, thinking about her home town.

"That must have been awful. I can see why you moved." Rebekah added as they reached the locker number the woman in the administration office had given her. Bella smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She wasn't about to tell Rebekah that the real reason she moved was because she became catatonic because her vampire boyfriend and family left her. Thinking of them, Bella instantly stiffened as she was imputing the numbers into the combination lock on the locker. Naturally, Rebekah noticed.

"Everything okay? Do you need help?" Rebekah's arm raised, preparing to take over unlocking the locker.

"No, all good." Bella smiled falsely as she inputted the last number and opened the locker.

…

The day passed quickly after first period. Bella thought that her first day at Mystic Falls High was nowhere near as bad as her first day at Forks High School. Once first period Calculus was over, Bella and Rebekah had walked to their second class, which was Biology. They shared the class with Kol, as well as with Caroline and the handsome male from the parking lot, who's name she had learned was Stefan Salvatore and he was dating Elena Gilbert. Bella was concerned that the subject wasn't going to be good, considering who she met in a biology class, but she ignored thoughts of _him_ and focused on talking with the friends she met and hoped to keep. Not paying attention to the biology teacher, Bella learned more about the two Mikaelson siblings, finding out that they had three more siblings and that they lived in the same neighbourhood as her and her aunt.

Bella had sat with the two siblings at lunch time at a table in the courtyard, earning confused glances from Caroline and Elena who hadn't spoken to her all day. Bella had hoped that they would come and speak with her, maybe even give her a tour around her new school, but all she had received all day was confused glances and stares.

Fourth period had rolled along too quickly, and Bella went to her chemistry class alone, sitting at a table at the back alone hoping that the teacher wouldn't notice the new student in the class. She wasn't too lucky, and the teacher introduced the new student in the class, urging that the other students make her feel welcomed.

Last period seemed to last for hours, Bella sat at the back of the room again, this time with Kol, as she listened to the French teacher attempt to teach the class simplistic phrases for an upcoming quiz. Finally, Bella sighed gratefully when the bell went, and she could gather her things and leave.

Throwing her satchel into the back seat of her car, she waved goodbye to Kol and Rebekah, who climbed into their car and sped out of the lot.

…

"There was a new girl at school today. She's rather… _unusual._ " Kol commented as he sat in the house drawing room with his siblings. Rebekah sat on the far side of the room, painting her toenails, whilst Elijah was reading an ancient script and Klaus was standing at an easel.

"Unusual?" Elijah put the bookmark in his book and meant forward.

"Quite. She's nice, she just moved here from Washington and lives with her aunt around the corner." Rebekah explained.

"That's not even the strangest part." Kol interjected.

Klaus put the brush he was using to the side and stepped around the easel to listen to his younger brother.

"She had a bite mark on her right wrist. It's scarred, so it's been there for a while."

"A _bite_ mark?" Klaus stepped forward.

"It was unmistakable what it was. Around the edges of it there was a shine, like the bite was decent. It was the unmistakable bite of a cold one." Rebekah put the brush back into the nail polish and stood up to approach her brothers.

"She's a cold one?" Elijah stood, slightly alarmed.

"No, she's human. She has a scent and a heartbeat."

"So, if she was bitten how is she still human?" Klaus asked, wondering how a creature as fragile as a human could withstand the bite of a cold one and survive.

…

When Bella got home that afternoon, she was greeted by her aunt who was sitting in the drawing room, sipping on a latte and reading a thick volume. Bella, who was in higher spirits than she was the night before, excused herself to start her homework before dinner. Bella's bag hadn't even hit the bed before it started to vibrate, signalling that the phone was ringing.

 _ **DAD**_

"Hi, dad." She greeted, glad that he'd called.

" _Hi, Bells. How was your first day in Mystic Falls? School okay?"_

"It was good, I met some new people who I really like. A brother and sister who I spent the day with, they're really nice." Bella smiled, putting her phone on loudspeaker as she pulled her textbook from her bag and opened her laptop to start her homework.

" _That's great, Bells! Everything's been good here, I even used the cooking instructions you left and made pasta that was edible."_ Charlie joked, making Bella giggle. When Bella had left, she was concerned that Charlie would not take care of himself and live on takeout, so she had left fool proof instructions so that he could cook a variety of foods for himself.

"That's awesome, dad. How's work been today?"

" _It was okay. Someone came in asking about you today."_

Bella's eyebrows furrowed, and she stopped typing the title for the essay she had to write.

"Who?" She questioned.

" _Dr Cullen."_ Charlie answered Bella's question, realising that he would regret it once he was answered with silence.

"Bella, you okay?"

"Bella?!"

Bella's jaw dropped as she stared at the laptop screen, her mind already blocking out anything that Charlie was saying.

 _They're back_

" _BELLA!"_

Charlie's yell finally snapped Bella from her reverie and she began to speak.

"What did he want?"

" _He said that he went by the house and you weren't there, so he wanted to know if you were okay. He said that those kids told him that you weren't at school and they were worried about you."_ Charlie answered.

"Right. And what did you tell him?" Bella asked quietly, her anger for the family of cold ones increasing by the second.

"I told him that you weren't in town anymore. I didn't tell him where you were, and I won't."

"Thanks dad. Sara is calling me, I'll speak to you tomorrow." Bella lied easily, ending the call and swiftly putting the phone down on her desk. Bella stared into space for a few minutes, jumping when her phone started vibrating again on the desk. Her homework forgotten, she looked over to see who it was, expecting it to be Charlie again. She smiled when she saw the caller ID.

"Hey, Bekah. Everything okay?"

" _Everything's fine, Isa. I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner, my brother and I told our siblings about you and they are intrigued to meet you."_

"Intrigued? To see _me_?" Bella's eyebrows narrowed.

"Yes, you. Now, what would you like for dinner?" Rebekah quickly changed the subject, successfully diverting Bella.

"Anything's fine. Are you sure it's not too much of a bother?" Bella worried.

" _Of course not, silly Bella. Come over soon, you can meet my brothers before we eat."_

"Okay, I'll be there soon."

Bella smiled and ended the call, standing and reaching for the jacket on the back of her chair. On her way out, she passed the mirror and looked at her outfit with a grimace, jeans and a shirt would probably be enough for school, but she figured not suitable for dinner with the Mikaelson family. Bella quickly dived into her closet, pulling out a pair of black skinny jeans, a navy blue cold shoulder top and a pair of black ankle boots.

Once she had deemed herself suitable, Bella grabbed her bag, jacket and phone and took off down the stairs, explaining to her aunt that she wouldn't be back for dinner and she was going to see some friends. Sara agreed heartily, glad that Bella was settling in and making friends so fast.


	3. Dinner

**Returning Home and Finding the Unexpected**

 **Chapter Three – Dinner**

Bella walked out of the door and turned left down the street, walking to a few minutes before she came to face a large house, easily the largest house on the block. Even the driveway and the cars in it intimidated her as she walked down the driveway to the door. Bella knocked, and looked down at her outfit, questioning whether this outfit choice was good enough either. Bella looked up when the door opened, raising her eyebrows when she saw the handsome man standing there. Genes really do run in the family, Bella thought. The suited man greeted her and ushered her into the house. If Bella thought that the outside was the most stunning part of the house, she was wrong.

"I am Elijah, I have heard a lot of things from Kol and Rebekah about you. Neither of them has come home from school before and spoken about someone they had met, so naturally my brother Niklaus and I were intrigued." Elijah spoke easily, as if they had known each other for years instead of minutes.

Bella blushed and looked down as he spoke, wondering why someone was intrigued over someone like her, surely, they were mistaken, she thought. The pair spoke easily as they walked through the house, eventually reaching a set of double doors where Elijah offered to take her coat. Bella accepted gratefully, thankful that the top she had chosen had long sleeves to cover the scar on her right arm. She didn't need anybody asking questions about _him._

Bella smiled at the older Mikaelson and he pushed open the large doors to reveal a grand dining room. Rebekah, Kol and a male she didn't recognise were standing around the set table.

"Isabella, you look _ravishing."_ Kol commented as she walked in, making Bella blush again.

"Kol, leave the poor girl alone. Here Isa, take a seat." Bella nodded gratefully and took a seat next to Rebekah. Bella looked down at the table, surprised. This dinner was fancier than any wedding or occasion she had ever attended, and it was just a simple meal.

"Bella, this is our other brother, Niklaus." Rebekah nodded at the unknown male as she reached across the table for a bottle of wine and a corkscrew.

"It's nice to meet both of you. Thank you so much for inviting me."

Klaus smiled at Bella's obvious nervousness as he reached across the table, taking the now open bottle of white wine from his sister.

"It's our pleasure, Isabella, it's good to meet a friend of Rebekah and Kol." The eldest brother, Elijah, said. Bella looked up and smiled at him slightly, blushing slightly when she saw how handsome he actually was. He looked a little like a Kol, they shared the same hair colour and same eye colour, whilst Rebekah shared hers with Klaus.

Bella looked away from Elijah quickly and looked around the room, noticing that someone was missing.

"Didn't you say that you had three older brothers?" Bella asked.

Niklaus looked at Bella and Kol surprised before answering.

"Yes, that would be our eldest brother, Finn. He spends the majority of his time travelling, we haven't seen him in what feels like centuries." Klaus smiled and Kol sniggered, making Bella think that there was an underlying meaning to what Klaus had said.

Elijah glared at his brothers before offing Bella a glass of the wine he was holding in his hand.

"No thank you, water is fine." Bella said. Elijah, in a gentlemanly fashion, reached for the water jug and poured her a glass before Bella had the chance to do it herself.

"Thank you." She smiled when he placed it in front of her.

…

Dinner was fabulous, as Bella had suspected it would be. She was served lamb, with fresh fruit and Chantilly cream for dessert.

Once dinner was finished and the dishes were cleared, the five diners retired into the drawing room. Bella was sitting beside Rebekah, with Klaus sitting with Elijah on a couch and Kol taking an armchair to the left of them.

"So, Bella. Rebekah tells us that you moved here from Washington. How are you finding this quaint little town compared to the city?" Klaus asked, leaning back and sitting comfortably on the couch.

"I actually lived in a tiny town called Forks, which had less residents than Mystic Falls I think. I think I'd actually prefer to live in the city, there's more excitement." Bella laughed, missing the look of recognition that crossed Klaus' face.

The four siblings started taking animatedly about stories about them in the city. Bella looked around the room, noting that she hadn't thought about _him_ or the Cullen's once since she had walked through the door of the Mikaelson home. Bella's reverie was interrupted when her phone started to buzz in her pocket, she plucked it from her jeans and saw it was Charlie. Seeing this, she excused herself to answer it.

As Bella walked away, Klaus cast a look at Rebekah and Kol.

"I think I know where she got the bite."

Kol and Rebekah looked at him confused, but Elijah nodded beside him agreeing with him.

"There is a _family_ of cold ones residing in Forks. You didn't say that was where she was from so the connection didn't cross my mind until just now.

"You think she was bitten by one of them?"

"It's possible. There is a large coven of them, seven in total. They are the only coven of cold ones that live amongst the humans that we have ever heard of. Usually they cast themselves away because they can't deal with the bloodlust. The creatures are an abomination." Klaus grimaced.

The four siblings, distracted by taking, were startled when they heard a thud and turned to see Bella passed out on the floor.

"Bella!" Rebekah gasped, rushing to the females' side and putting her hand on her forehead.

"What happened to her?" Elijah was the next to arrive, scooping up Bella in his arms and placing her on a nearby couch.

" _BELLA!"_ Rebekah looked up when she heard a muffled yelling, noticing the discarded phone on the ground.

"Hello?" She asked.

" _Hello? Where's Bella? What happened?"_ The caller asked quickly.

"I think she fainted. I am Rebekah, I am a friend of hers from school. My brother is tending to her now." Rebekah looked up as Elijah bit into his wrist and held it to Bella's mouth, and smiled when she saw the grateful look on Elijah's face when she started to drink.

"My brother is tending to her now, she will be fine. I'll get her to call you when she is awake and feels better."

The man on the phone, who Rebekah assumed was Bella's father, thanked her and ended the call.

"Is she okay?" Rebekah put the phone down on a nearby sideboard and walked to the person her brothers were surrounding.

"She'll be fine." Klaus looked up at his sister with an odd expression, he had never seen her express that much worry for someone she had known for less than twenty-four hours.

"She's waking up." The siblings stepped away as Bella began to stir on the couch. Rebekah stepped up behind her, and hers was the first face Bella saw when she opened her eyes.

"Oh god, my dad. Where's my phone?" Bella sat up quickly, looking around the room wide-eyed for the small device.

"I spoke to him, Bella, it's okay. I told him you would call him back once you were awake and feeling better." Rebekah soothed

"I need to call him, he didn't finish saying before I… wait, what… happened?" Bella looked around slowly, noticing for the first time that she had been laying down on the couch.

"I think you fainted, you were only out for a few minutes. Did your dad say something to make you pass out?" Kol guessed, earning a surprised look from Rebekah, Kol was not known for sounding sympathetic.

A look of alarm and panic crossed Bella's face, something that the four overly observant Original vampires noticed.

"Isabella?" Elijah enquired, pulling the sleeve that he had tugged up to free his wrist for Bella to drink from.

"I'm okay." She murmured, looking down alarmed when she realised that her shirt sleeve had ridden up, revealing the bite mark she wished to forget.

"What is that?" Kol acted obtuse, pointing at her arm, apparently missing the shocked look that crossed her face.

Bella rushed to cover it, tugging her top so that it covered the bite and most of her hand. She looked up at the four siblings sheepishly, Bella knew it was obvious that she was trying to hide something.

"Bella." Rebekah chided, in a tone that showed Bella that she cared.

"It's nothing. It's actually something that I want to forget if that's alright with you." Bella replied, instantly regretting the tone she used to speak when she was the taken-aback loon on Rebekah's face.

"I'm sorry," she apologised quietly, "It's just something from a time that I would rather forget. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I'm sorry bekah." Bella profusely apologised, missing the small smile that made its way onto Rebekah's face.

"It's okay Bella, honestly, and you didn't hurt my feelings. I may have only known you for a short period of time, but you are the first friend I have had in a long time and your friendship means a lot to me. If you want to tell me what it is, and open up about your past, do it in your own time. Besides, there isn't anything that you could say that would make me judge you." Rebekah smiled, putting her hand comfortingly on Bella's arm, completely missing Kol's look of annoyance. Of all of Rebekah's siblings, Kol was the most impatient, and he obviously didn't like waiting for Bella's reasoning.

"Thanks, Rebekah. But, it's getting late and I should probably be getting home. My aunt will be wondering where I am." Bella looked towards the front door desperately, seeing it as her escape route.

Bella was new to people wanting her to open up to them. She had never done it with her mother, giving that her mother tended to be preoccupied with any new hobby that she had chosen to partake in that week, and she had never had the time to open up to Charlie given that she was only in Forks for a short amount of time. Rebekah was the first friend that she had felt that she could open up to in a long time. Of course, she had opened up to Edward, poured her heart out and given it to him to keep safe, in fact. Even after what he did to her, she was still hurt by his loss, by the loss of his own family. Sure, she had opened up to Alice, and even Carlisle and Esme after starting to view them as parental figures in her life, but Rebekah was different. When she had lived in Forks, Bella had been trapped within herself. She had lost her life, her family and her friends. When the Cullen's had left town, she was heartbroken. Not just by the loss of the man she loved, but by the group of people she had considered to be her family. They obviously hadn't felt the same way, Bella thought. After losing the Cullen's, Bella had lost contact with her mom after she stopped calling, then Charlie when she began to lock herself in her room, and then her friends from school when she stopped going. Bella soon learned that they were just as fake as the Cullen's had been when not one of them called to check that she was okay after not attending school for such a long period of time.

But Rebekah was different, so was Kol. There was something about them that Bella senses was dark. Like their soul and being was fractured, something that Bella had been able to relate to since the Cullen's had left town. When Bella had met Kol and Rebekah in the parking lot, she could see it in their eyes that there was something that they had loved and lost, whether that be a partner, sibling or family member. Bella had felt a sense of complete solitude since the Cullen's had left, and in the hours since she had met Kol and Rebekah, she had felt like she found a piece of herself again, the thought made Bella smile as she walked down the path home, Rebekah at her side.


	4. Red

**Returning Home and Finding the Unexpected**

 **Chapter Four – Red**

Bella climbed the steps to her front door, Rebekah on her heels.

"Thank you for tonight Bekah. I'm not stupid, I know you all saw the mark, but I don't know whether I'm ready to talk about it yet. The pain in still fresh."

"I understand Bella, it's not easy getting over those you loved." Rebekah put her hand on Bella's shoulder, noting her alarmed look immediately.

"What do you mean?" Bella questioned.

"Why are humans always so completely boring. Always whinging about one heartbreak or another. Did Edward leave 'iccle Bella to fend for herself."

Rebekah spun on her heels to see who had spoken and was slightly confused when she was a red-headed cold one standing less than five metres away.

"Bloody hell." Rebekah muttered under her breath. Fighting and killing a cold one was possible alone, but Rebekah now cursed the fact that she had told her brothers to remain at home whilst she walked Bella home.

"And you've made a little friend, shame I'll have to take care of her as well," Victoria looked Rebekah up and down, obviously not realising that she wasn't the superior species in the conversation.

"Sweetheart. I'm sure you will do well to run along now. As you are clearly too dim witted to see, Bella is now under the protection of the Mikaelson family. You touch one hair on her head and I guarantee it will be the last thing that you do." Rebekah smiled threateningly, noting the shocked look that passed the red headed woman's features.

"Mikaelson?"

Bella looked between the pair, looking back from Rebekah's smug expression back to Victoria's almost scared one confused. Surely a strong vampire like Victoria could not be frightened of a frail human such as Rebekah, Bella thought.

Bella took a step back towards her front door when Victoria took a step forward, her expression now mirroring Rebekah's.

"I am here on the request of the Voltori. Surely you wouldn't want to anger the kings of our kind."

Bella closed her eyes and waited for Victoria to pounce on her, sure that Victoria would take her away to make sure that her death was long and painful.

Bella's eyes flew open, shocked, when she heard a voice that she recognised.

"Now, now, Red. _Kings_? Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Klaus smirked as he took Victoria by the throat, Bella's eyes widened when she saw his flash gold. _What the hell was he?_

Bella looked down the street, alarmed, noticing that Klaus was holding someone by their neck on a busy street that anybody could walk down at any moment.

"Klaus, what are you doing?" Rebekah asked, her tone almost bored.

"And here I was thinking that you needed my assistance, sister." Klaus looked at his sister over his shoulder, a smirk still plastered on his young face.

Bella had remained still since she had opened her eyes. Surely, she hadn't moved from one town with supernaturals straight to another.

"Now then. What exactly is your issue with the Little Swan?" Klaus jerked his head in Bella's direction, effectively snapping her from her reverie.

"Her mate murdered my mate." Victoria struggled to speak as Klaus' hand tightened around her throat.

Rebekah looked at Bella alarmed, had the cold one lured her in by claiming she was his _mate_? The thought made Rebekah shiver.

"Well then. As my sister has told you, Isabella is under the protection of the Mikaelson family. You must have been around for a while, so you must know that any person harms a person under a Mikaelson's protection is not tolerated. So, if you don't mind." Klaus finished politely before squeezing tighter, effectively tearing Victoria's head from her shoulders.

Bella looked on, shocked as Victoria's body landed on the ground with a thump. Klaus, still holding Victoria's head by her hair in one hand, hoisted up her body and put it over his shoulder.

"I think it's best you come with us, Little Swan." Klaus said before turning on his heel and walking away in the direction of his home, leaving Rebekah to lead Bella back.


	5. Future

**Returning Home and Finding the Unexpected**

 **Chapter 5 – Future**

" _You'd better come with us, Little Swan."_

When Bella has first heard those words from Klaus' mouth, she had been worried, scared even. She had followed Klaus back to the Mikaelson mansion almost blindly, if It wasn't for Rebekah's small hand on her shoulder Bella didn't know whether she would have made it there or not.

Images of Victoria's head being detached from her body plagued her mind, and it didn't help any that Klaus was half carrying-half dragging Victoria's corpse down the street a mere twenty feet in front of her. Bella had taken the time to look around in her shock induced state, thankful that the sky was darkening, and street lights were beginning to turn on. Bella was shocked. Shocked that she had left one town to escape the supernatural burden and moved straight to another. And more, the first people that she had bonded with since she had moved were both supernatural, at least she knew that Rebekah was, Kol she wasn't so sure about.

She had all but stumbled up the stairs of the Mikaelson home, Rebekah following her into the living room where the rest of the Mikaelson siblings, and a woman she didn't recognise, were sitting.

"Isabella, come in, please. Sit down." Elijah gestured towards a vacant armchair with his right arm. Bella nodded and sat, her eyes not leaving the unknown woman sitting besides Kol on another couch.

The woman, apparently noticing Bella's interest, spoke up.

"I am Freya, I'm the boring eldest sibling." She said good-naturedly, throwing a small smile in Bella's direction. Bella returned it slightly.

"Yes, I am sure that this is somewhat of a surprise for you Little Swan but be assured that you are safe." Klaus looked oddly genuine as he spoke, it was a look that suited him, Bella thought.

Bella nodded in response.

"Unlike the vampires you've met before, we are actually somewhat nice." Kol commented, making Bella raise her head and look at him in confusion.

"You're vampires? That's impossible."

"I can assure you it's not, we are what you would call traditional vampires. Unlike the lesser species you met, we are not cold blooded, nor can we die."

"You can't die?" Bella responded to Klaus' response with a question.

" _We_ can't die, because we are the originals of our species, but for other traditional vampires some wood to the heart would work just fine." A dark smile came to Klaus' face as he spoke.

"So now you know what we are, how about you tell us how you got that scar on your wrist?" Kol bargained, making Bella sigh and look down at the hideous mark that marred her wrist.

And so, she did. Bella told the Mikaelson's the real reason why she moved to Mystic Falls, the unending heartbreak that she was suffering. After a while, when she knew that they meant no mark, Bella even began to divulge information about the Cullen's, how she had met them, and how she had come to lose them. Bella cried as she spoke of them leaving, which made her become embarrassed, but she was soon assured that she had nothing to be ashamed of by Rebekah, who had sat at Bella's side since she began to speak.

Once Bella was done and all cried out, she learned of the Mikaelson heritage, and how they had left Mystic Falls over a millennium ago only to find their way back a thousand years later. She learned of the two fallen Mikaelson brothers, Henrik and Finn, and how they had been on the run from their father Mikaelson for the past millennium.

Bella felt comfortable, and familiar in her surroundings. She knew that the Michaelson's were supernatural, but they wouldn't hurt her like the Cullen's, would they?


End file.
